Liberty Specialty Markets announces new global charity partners

Authored by Liberty Specialty Markets

Liberty Specialty Markets (LSM), part of Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, has announced ShelterBox and Cool Earth as their new charity partners, following an employee vote.

As part of a three-year commitment, LSM will be supporting each charity with a corporate donation of £50,000 per year. LSM will also be holding a variety of engagement activities to further support and promote the charities. This decision follows the expiry of the seven-year partnership with WaterAid UK, which raised over £857,000 and funded projects to bring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene awareness to communities in Madagascar and Rwanda.

“We are proud to be supporting ShelterBox and Cool Earth as both charities fight for causes close to our hearts. Supporting these charities enables us to focus on the immediate impact on individuals and communities, while supporting initiatives to combat climate change in the long term.” said Nigel Davenport, Group General Counsel at Liberty Specialty Markets.

“With international disasters becoming increasingly common, we will work with ShelterBox to build an effective partnership, which will help mitigate the impact of climate change, conflict and disasters by helping protect the most vulnerable from further hardship.

“We are also pleased to be working with such a dynamic and unique charity as Cool Earth. We were impressed by their ambition and desire to make real change that can help combat the climate emergency we all face and preserve rainforests for future generations.”

ShelterBox’s Chief Executive, Sanj Srikanthan commented: “As the world faces ever more severe extreme weather events, ShelterBox continues to respond to the devastating impact the changing climate is having on communities across the globe. We’re able to reach more people in need with emergency shelter aid, thanks to our global network of supporters, volunteers, and partners.

“Our new and exciting partnership with Liberty Specialty Markets, a company with a clear commitment to supporting communities living on the front line of the climate crisis, will help us go further. There is a compelling alignment in our missions - putting communities first and listening to people's needs to personalise how we respond to events that have devastated lives they have worked so hard to build.”

Cool Earth’s Peru Programme Manager, Isabel Felandro added: “Cool Earth believes the greatest insurance we have for the future of life is to trust in people and trust in those who have protected rainforests for thousands of years. Rainforests have the potential to capture 30% of the carbon needed to cool the planet to safe levels (IUCN 2021).

“Our partnership with LSM will help to significantly accelerate learning around the effectiveness and scalability of unconditional cash programmes and how they can help keep vital ecosystems like rainforests protected in the fight to end the climate emergency”.